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I was afraid it would one day come to this, but the question must be asked. Has NYC become a mainstream city? Has it lost it's character, stigma and vibe it had in the 70's, 80's and 90's? Judging from the mass surge of native new yorkers leaving the city to venture south, and all the net migration we've been receiving from all across the country, it seems that we're beginning to lose that culture and stigma that stuck with us through past generations. Everyone's dream today is to move to New York City. It's beginning to be a cash grab with the price of apartments these days. I don't know.. what's your opinion?

It happened years ago. It used to be that the only people who moved to New York were bankers, stage actors and media types. Now we have school teachers moving to the city. That was would have been unusual in the 80s.

I don't think it is necessarily mainstream, and anyone who has ventured past the tourist spots or to the outerboroughs would know that. It has just cleaned itself up just enough to be more appealing to more "mainstream Americans." And that ain't a bad thing!

I was afraid it would one day come to this, but the question must be asked. Has NYC become a mainstream city? Has it lost it's character, stigma and vibe it had in the 70's, 80's and 90's? Judging from the mass surge of native new yorkers leaving the city to venture south, and all the net migration we've been receiving from all across the country, it seems that we're beginning to lose that culture and stigma that stuck with us through past generations. Everyone's dream today is to move to New York City. It's beginning to be a cash grab with the price of apartments these days. I don't know.. what's your opinion?

new york is an international city, and we should act as such. New york grew up. We want the worlds best in this city and every new yorker should agree. The 70,80,90's stigma was holding new york back from true greatness, im glad it's over.

But back 20-30 years ago didn't NYC have a massive crime problem with thousands of murders per year along with the crack epidemic? Don't think it was such an attractive place to raise a family then.

Many people still don't find it an attractive place to raise a family. Nonetheless, I think New York has always had an allure. I mean, Frank Sinatra sang about "being a part of it" 50 or 60 years ago. That still rubs off on people. That new Alicia Keys song is having the same effect.

I had a friend from France visit me a few years ago and NYC was the only place she wanted to visit. Monuments? Nope. Center City Philly and the Liberty Bell? Nope. After we exited the Lincoln Tunnel, she rolled down the window and started singing: "I WANNA BE A PART OF IT, NEW YORK NEW YOOOORK!!!!" It was hilarious. New York has always been mainstream. It is our country's greatest treasure.

I'm not a New Yorker, but do many native New Yorkers feel that the city is losing its identity because of newly arrived migrants from the suburbs and the Midwest? It seems to me that New York is SOO big that it can accommodate many different people without changing the fabric of the local culture. In fact, I've always considered New York to be a "city of the world," and its whole point was for people to move there and to continue to change the city and redefine it. This is markedly different from Washington, DC, where change is not so openly received.

"A white person moved three doors down. They tryin' to kick me out and change my neighborhood!"

I was afraid it would one day come to this, but the question must be asked. Has NYC become a mainstream city? Has it lost it's character, stigma and vibe it had in the 70's, 80's and 90's? Judging from the mass surge of native new yorkers leaving the city to venture south, and all the net migration we've been receiving from all across the country, it seems that we're beginning to lose that culture and stigma that stuck with us through past generations. Everyone's dream today is to move to New York City. It's beginning to be a cash grab with the price of apartments these days. I don't know.. what's your opinion?

Ummm I don't know if u were around in the 70's 80's and 90's but NYC in those days was the murder/crack capital (heroin in the 70's, thank u Frank Lucas and Nicki Barnes). Not to mention subway cars were loaded with Grafitti. The transplants dont kill the culture b/c they're still Americans. Its all of the illegal immigrants or the influx of immigrants period that refuse to assimilate. After growing up there I certainly would not move back to NYC but i'll definately admit it's a lot better 2day than it was 20, 30 years ago.

If you base everything on the 80s, I'd agree with you because it was a hellhole that needed cleaning up. But I grew up here in the 70s and loved it. I felt completely safe. I was never mugged or beaten, there were no gangs or thugs roaming my neighborhood streets, and I was never aware of any murders. As a 13-year-old, my parents felt comfortable enough to send me on public transportation (bus + subway) to attend Brooklyn Tech H.S., which required me to travel more than one hour both ways each day. The worst thing I can recall is some annoying older guys trying to hit on me because I was a cute teenager
I went away to college and didn't return to NYC until 1989 and by then, everything had deteriorated. Although the City faced some hard fiscal times during the 70s, IMO, CRACK ruined everything. There were killings, robberies, muggings, dirty subways full of homeless people, crack heads roaming around, people breaking into cars and stealing radios ... I could go on and on.
I'm not the greatest fan of the new, New York because everything seems very temporary. The old sense of community doesn't exist like it used to, which to me is sad. Today people come here because they have many more career options and opportunities than we had. Although Frank Sinatra sang about "making it" here, the reality was that most of us just lived quite simply. If you're from a small town or city, I can understand being drawn to this but I just can't relate.
Anyway, "mainstream" NYC has brand new, shiny skyscrapers but we don't have block parties.
We have hot bars and shops but many of the diners have shut down and you can't go dancing because you can't get a cabaret license anymore.
We have the baby stroller brigade but kids can't ride their bikes around the corner alone, go rollerskating down the block or play punchball in the street.
Times Square is everyone's Disney World but the guy who used to bring rides on a truck doesn't come around anymore.
Bottom line for me is that we gave up some things that a certain group of people valued only to replace them with things that another group of people value.
In the end, the people I grew up with are no longer here because the crack '80s ran them out ... not hipsters or yuppies ... they weren't even here yet. Most of my friends relocated to the South and are living in suburban splendor now, but that lifestyle doesn't appeal to me. So here I am, living in a neighborhood where people pay more for a small apartment than my grandparents, parents and aunts and uncles combined paid for their houses. I remember my grandfather laughing at me and telling me that it was crazy to pay $38K for a co-op because his whole 3 bdrm house cost $15K
I guess that's just the way it is ... I'm not complaining, just reflecting. But sometimes I shake my head and wonder what the H happened ???

NYC lost some its individuality with the influx of chain and big box stores. NYC was a hold out for a long time. It must have been the last city in the US to get a McDonalds. We had Wessons, but that was small fry (pun intended). Then we started to see the commercials and we learned to sing the jingles, but still no Big Macs in NY. Then Ronald McDonald invaded us. The invasion first landed in the outerboroughs and it created a great deal of excitement. There was a huge debate when they wanted to open a McDs in Manhattan a few years later. It took a while before other chains came to the city.

Macys was Macys. If you wanted to shop at Macys you went to the one and only one on 34th Street. If you wanted to go to Gimbels, you walked across the street. If you wanted to shop at Martins or A&S, you had to go to Brooklyn. There was no Macys in Los Angeles or Las Vegas.

Shopping malls were all over the US, but not here. It took a while before NYC got an indoor shopping mall. I remember when Kings Plaza opened and there was a big-to-do over it. Wow, the place even had a connecting indoor garage.

We went from no chain stores to a Starbucks on every corner in Manhattan.

I see the commercials for Sonic on TV, but there are not Sonics here . . . yet.

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